turkey feathers

Happy Go Lucky

After hiking a bit up a dusty narrow path, winding through pines and forest fauna, we find a respite!  Oh, land of enchantment.  This scene reminds me of when I was a child, and summer seemed to go on forever.  My generation didn't have access to computers, gadgets, or high-tech games.  The great outdoors was our play station.  Sometimes we got bored, but never for long because our imagination would lead us into wonderful make-believe adventures.  

One time, we "built a train" and rode into the land of enchantment.  Nobody remarked that our train was only a row of mismatched kitchen chairs sitting in a weedy patch of side-yard.  Someone rang a bell and we all jumped aboard, chugging over mountains and across valleys, bell ringing (to warn off any cows that might be straggling along the tracks), until we reached our destination.  Once there, we splashed into the pool, which we pretended was the ocean or a secret lake.  Later, we might stretch out on the sidewalk to warm ourselves or lie in the grass and watch clouds drift overhead.  

Drifting is good sometimes.  

Although this time away seemed aimless, it has renewed me somehow.  

July Break

Considering how I was just introducing new chicken tea towels in my last post, with links for patterns, my timing for putting PatternBee (and my other web shops) on vacation mode probably seems a bit abrupt!  But actually, business in general this month has been very slow, so we are looking at this as an opportunity to get caught up on some house projects.  Jam making season is here as well and I want to take my time and enjoy these simple pleasures while they last.  All orders that came in over the weekend will be printed and shipped ASAP though, so not to worry.  I'm on it.  After that, I plan to be quite busy in the kitchen.  Or up here cooling off.  I'll be posting now and then to keep in touch! 

Summertime has arrived . . . .

 

 

BAKE!

(Lovely cakes courtesy of my daughters, from 2007)

One of my favorite shows to watch sometimes, as I sit and stitch...is The Great British Baking Show although, I don't think its in production anymore.  It's a bit confusing, because what's currently being billed as Season 5, is actually Season 3 (from 2012), and has never been shown in the U.S.  In fact, this show is prior to any of the seasons American audiences watched (on PBS); the first show aired in 2013.  So even though Mary Berry and the ladies have moved on, they will be presented as if nothing has changed.  Like watching a rerun, that never ran.  Makes perfect sense.

Anyway, the charming hosts of the show Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins often shouted, "BAKE!!" at the start of each contest, and that memory sort of inspired a little re-design of an old tea towel pattern and some fun needlework. 

This 1960's tea towel design, from Tri-Chem, with its heavy block style lettering, was originally designed to be painted over with liquid embroidery, which back in the day was a new product introduced as a time-saving technique for the busy working woman.  My Mom, being a busy working woman, had eagerly purchased the ball-point tubes of paint for us to try (I was about 12 then), but discovered the medium was messy and difficult to control.  As a result, we ended up with some very interesting dust cloths!  However, I'm told the current liquid embroidery paint tubes work much better.  So if you prefer coloring to stitching then here's something for you too.

But as I prefer to stitch these, and others may as well, I took liberties and made a few slight modifications to the graphics choosing a friendlier font (for needlework), and a different layout. If you love Lazy-Daisy, I've also added optional daisy borders, to carry out the theme.  They can be stamped lengthwise alongside the chicken (like the original lettering) or used as a border underneath her. 

But wait!  There's more!  I also created BAKE! as a theme towel.  It's not shown on the envelope cover (above), but it will be included in the pattern as a sort of Surprise Bonus.  Only my blog readers will know the what, where, when, how and why.

Here's the BAKE! towel, stamped and ready to go. 

Already a work in progress!  This was stamped onto a fresh flour sack dish towel, but I think it would be darling on an apron bib or baking smock.  It measures about 8" x 7" (without the weekday).

These old patterns usually had numbers and rarely had names (with the exception of Aunt Martha's).  But this one had neither that I could find, so I've given it both and added it to the PatternBee website as Spring Chicken #4472.  In the event you are reading this years from now and the link no longer works, you may find it under the Kitchen Towel category, under 'Feathered Friends'.   

I'll post a picture of my finished towel HERE.

 

    

Peek-A-Boo

Something new.

After that brief revelry, we call Independence Day, with all its concentrated sparkle and glory, and with it falling smack dab in the middle of the week, things are all at once quiet on the home front again.  Though somewhat briefly, pending a lovely visit from my darling granddaughters later this afternoon.  Who knows what sorts of mischief we will get up to.  In the meantime, my attention has returned to a little creative stitching with another doll.    

Happy 4th!

Revisiting: My recipe for fun.

Be Free

Goodness.  It seems that, only a few posts back I was introducing June.  It really went by fast in a flurry of activity.  So happy to be settling into the summer season.